Take yoga to Cronig’s

Have you stopped by down-Island Cronigs lately? Okay, now it is time to take a deep breath and let out a long sigh. Watch what is arising.

After a recent sunrise yoga class, I overheard one of the participants (I won’t mention any names) expressing hesitation at going to Cronig’s for a few things she needed. I butted in with a suggestion that she not be in a hurry or it would be a frustrating experience. Then everyone joined in to share about the wide range of emotions that the renovation of Cronig’s is bringing forth for them.

“Okay,” I said, “this is a great opportunity to take your yoga off the mat and welcome in everything just as it is.”

They raised their eyebrows at this suggestion. After a few moments the aha’s started to surface. Well, yes, someone said. I have been making connections with people that are lost in the aisles, and we help each other find what we are looking for. We end up laughing as if we are in a maze and children trying to find the golden egg. We are all so vulnerable with the situation that our guards are let down momentarily.

How about the chaos of never knowing where anything is and the essence of it always changing — the cosmic joke. Once you think you have figured everything out and life is going to be perfect, it changes. Just like the weather and seasons. We are all living on an Island of change and now we have a manifestation of it at Cronig’s.

Now, if this is getting too out there for you, consider the practical implications of the Cronig’s dilemma. Many nutritionists are pointing people to a whole foods eating regimen. When I give a whole foods cooking workshop, I always suggest that people consider shopping the perimeter of the store where all the almost live foods are. Stay away from the middle aisles where all the packaged goods are. Ironically, the outer perimeter of the store is the only consistent shopping area at Cronig’s. The middle aisles are the ones that are constantly changing.

Can you imagine what life has been like for the Cronig’s staff over this winter? Have they had to receive all the frustration and confusion? Hopefully the project will be complete before the off-Island folks arrive in June. That factor would add a whole other dimension to the experience.

Thank you, Steve Bernier and the entire Cronig’s staff, for providing a daily practice ground to put any “being in the present moment” disciplines into reality. The opportunity to see how simply going to the grocery store can stress you out if you let it.

May wandering the Cronig’s aisles remind us of the impermanence of being human, and may our community deepen to welcome it all in.